From the very beginning, Upton Tea Imports has been proud to offer quality tea education in our quarterly catalog to accompany our premium tea selection. Join us in revisiting our classic article series Reversals of Fortune in the Tea Industry, where we examine fascinating turns of events in tea and trade history with surprising outcomes.
In this exciting installment, trace the development of the influential Dutch East India Company which reigned over Asian-European trade for over a century to its eventual decline. Why did the key trade holdings gained by the Dutch Republic overseas collapse? Learn how Dutch banking led to Amsterdam becoming financial hub of Europe, altering the course of modern history. How will this success lead the Republic to fleets of merchant ships sailing over treacherous waters to trade in East Asia, and what role does tea play in this period? Privateers, pirates and war point to an interesting conclusion which takes us to the beginning of the next big advancement in tea’s journey as a tradable good: the rise of the British, who become the next dominant power.